by Cary Caffrey
Her comm-link crackled and Sigrid heard the colonel's voice in her ear. "Change of plans? Are we going back?"
Sigrid shook her head—more to shake herself out of her funk than anything else. "No, Colonel. No change. We're going. Please proceed ahead. Lead us up."
"You sure about this?" Suko said.
Sigrid nodded. "I'm sure."
Ahead of them, the colonel and his three longspurs leapt ahead, disappearing into the tunnel.
"Follow them, Jaffer," Sigrid said. "Take us in. We're going to Portillo."
~ - ~
The trek through the tunnel was slow going. The tunnel twisted and turned, always rising. There was barely any clearance for the two transport trains. Managing the steep switchbacks was a nail-biting affair, and the trains of intermodal containers threatened to lodge themselves against the jagged walls and ceilings more than once. The tunnel featured no lights either; the flood lamps from Jaffer's and Marta's rigs cast long shadows against the narrow stone walls.
They arrived on the other side into a flurry of snow and ice. And soldiers. Six entire platoons of armed guards stood waiting for them. Sixteen tanks lined the road to either side. Behind the soldiers, rising high and all around, were the walls of the Crow's Nest, more than twenty-five meters of heavy reinforced permacrete. Behind those walls, glowing in golden light against the snow, was the sprawling city-enclave of Portillo. An immense gate of titanium stood barred and locked.
"I'm starting to like this plan," Jaffer said as he drove slowly between the ranks of armored tanks. The muzzles of their 88 mm guns swiveled on their turrets, tracking them closely. "It's so simple. Straightforward. Look, now they can blow us to bits!"
"Easy, Jaffer," Sigrid said with more confidence than she felt. "We'll be fine. Remember, we are but simple traders come to sell our wares. Don't worry. They need this load of thorium. They're desperate for it. It will work. Trust me."
"This is just like the story of the Trojan horse," Nuria said. She was staring out the window at the high walls and glowing golden lights of the enclave beyond. Caught up in the excitement, she took Sigrid's hand. "And you, Lady Sigrid, you're the hero Agamemnon!"
"Agamemnon?" Suko said, arms folded. "Well, let's just hope this works out better for her than it did for him."
"Wait," Jaffer said. "I thought the Greeks won that war."
"Oh, they did," Suko said, shooting a glare between Sigrid and Nuria. "Except Agamemnon made the mistake of taking a war mistress. Isn't that right, Sigrid? He was murdered by his wife upon his return."
"I thought Aegisthus killed Agamemnon," Sigrid said, doing her best to keep her voice even, and failing quite miserably.
"Make no mistake." Suko leaned over and made a point of pulling their hands apart. "It was his wife who murdered him. Trust me. I know."
A soldier plodded through the snow toward them. He was waving a yellow lamp and signaling them to a halt. Four more guards stood ready, hands forever on their weapons.
The lead soldier shuffled over to the driver's side. He had a hand-scanner in his gloved hand. He held it up in front of him, waving it in the direction of the cargo carriers. The scanner would reveal the cargo to be exactly what it was: twenty-two containers of refined thorium commissioned by the marquis di Valparaíso for delivery to Portillo.
Jaffer rolled down his window. The air outside was crisp and cold; several flakes of snow drifted in, floating between them.
"You're late," the soldier said. "And twelve containers short, by the looks of it."
"Jacker trouble," Jaffer said; it was the truth. No worries there. "You're lucky we got this much through."
"I'm not lucky at all. I'm stuck out here, freezing my noodle while all the mucky-mucks are inside, warm and toasty and getting fat and drunk and laid."
"Harsh."
"You know it."
"Here," Sigrid said. She leaned past Jaffer to toss down a thermos. The soldier caught it in his free hand. "Something to keep you warm."
"What's this?" the soldier said glumly. "Soup?"
"Sure," Sigrid said. "Except that soup is 98 proof and pretty much all whiskey. In fact, it is whiskey. All of it."
The soldier flashed a toothy grin and nodded his approval. "Nice."
"What's even better," Sigrid said, resting her chin on her hands as she leaned over the window frame, "is that you don't have to share."
"I like your style." He twisted the top and took a large gulp. "Oh, that's good."
"Now," Sigrid said, blinking her long lashes at him, "what say you let us in before my large friend here freezes his cockles? As you said, we're late as it is."
"Sure. Right after we bring you in, have security do a thorough check on your IDs and inspect the cargo. Should only take a few hours. We're short staffed, what with the big hoopla going on inside."
Inwardly, Sigrid cursed. She couldn't afford more delays—or the added attention. She was busy combing through a selection of combat scenarios, should they have to fight their way in, when the soldier waved his hand and chuckled.
"Nah. I'm just shitting you. They're already set up and waiting to offload your cargo. The crews want to get out of this blizzard just like we do. Wachowski will lead you in."
The soldier stepped back and signaled through his comm, and the large gates ground slowly open. A small jeep rose on its repulsors, sending up a blast of snow and ice. It flashed its lights twice and moved out in front of them.
Tipping his thermos of whiskey, the soldier waved them forward. "Have a good one."
Jaffer rolled up his window and nudged the transport forward.
"Well," Sigrid said, once they were clear, "welcome to Troy."
~ - ~
"I can't believe that worked," Jaffer said; he was still chuckling. "I was sure we were dead back there. And look, they're giving us an armed escort right to the center of town!"
Indeed, the armored car still ran ahead of them; its flashing red and blue lights carved a path through the swirling flurry of snow.
"War machines are thirsty creatures," Sigrid said. "They need this fuel. They're desperate for it. Besides, I doubt they suspect anyone would be fool enough to attack them from within their own stronghold."
"Only us fools here," Suko said.
Their escort continued to lead Jaffer through the narrow streets of the enclave, streets that wound steadily upward. Marta's train followed close behind. The further in they travelled, the more Sigrid was surprised at the sorry state of the place. The once grand enclave had definitely seen better days. While most of the villas were lit and glowing, with smoke rising from their chimneys, others looked in disrepair or abandoned outright. Several of the larger structures, buildings that once catered to the wealthiest of tourists, were now used as billets for the force of three thousand Cabal troops.
Turning a corner, Sigrid caught her first glimpse of their destination. Larger and more lavish than the other residences, it was more palace than villa. All of its tall windows were aglow with warm lights, a shining beacon set near the base of the tallest of the surrounding peaks. This was the residence of Lars Koenig, the marquis di Valparaíso, and this was where Sigrid had to go.
Unfortunately, their escort was taking them in the opposite direction.
Turning away from the palace, they were led into the loading docks. At least fifty crew, women and men, stood waiting for them. They were freezing. They stood shivering, doing their best to warm themselves, blowing in their hands and stomping their feet.
Sigrid wasn't worried about the workers. They were most likely indentured, and she didn't think they'd care about her or her band of infiltrators either way. But the squad of armed soldiers standing watch was another matter. There were only eight of them, easy enough to handle, but all it would take was for one of them to sound the alarm and they'd have the entire force of three thousand armed Cabal warriors descending on them.
Even now, they were approaching the cargo trains, weapons in one hand, security scanners in the other.
It wouldn't take them long to figure out the true nature of their cargo.
"Don't worry, Lady Sigrid," Nuria said. "I can take care of them."
"Nuria—wait," Sigrid said. "You don't have to do this."
"You might be trained for war, milady. But this? This is what I was trained for."
~ - ~
Nuria was only halfway down the ladder when one of the soldiers shouted at her.
"Halt! Back in the vehicle. Now!"
Ignoring him, Nuria slid the rest of the way to the ground. The high heels of her tall boots crunched on the ice. With her back still facing the soldiers coming up behind her, she took a moment to try to steel herself and stop her shaking. It had been more than a year since she'd worked the streets—something she never thought she'd ever have to do again—but Lady Sigrid and the others, they were counting on her. She had to do this.
Turning, she flashed her most practiced smile, a smile that was amplified by her dark crimson lipstick and even darker eyeshadow. Despite the cold, she allowed her high-collared bridge coat to fall open. Her hand fell absently to the short hem of her clinging green dress and the exposed flesh of her thighs.
The lead soldier charging toward her came to a skidding stop on the icy tarmac—stopping so abruptly the three men and one woman following at his heels practically barged into him. He took one look at her and swallowed. He was young, only a private. Nuria didn't think he could be much older than her, maybe eighteen or nineteen. His eyes made a slow if purposeful tour as they made their way up the length of her tall plastic boots and over the smooth curve of her hips until they came to rest squarely within the plunging neckline of her dress, where they remained locked.
This was going to be easier than she thought.
Unfortunately his superior officer—a dour-faced lieutenant, junior grade—chose that moment to step in front of him. And he didn't look nearly as taken with her as the young private.
"You were ordered to remain in your vehicle."
"I'm-I'm sorry. I just thought—"
"You'll come with us. Private, take her inside. Check her ID. Be sure to search her thoroughly."
The young private reached for her. Nuria stepped away from him, stumbling in her heels.
"There's really no need. Look! I'm not hiding anything, as you can see. I'm just a poor working girl. I only thought—"
"Poor working girl, my ass. I suppose while you're 'entertaining' my men, your friends will be busy trying to smuggle who knows what kind of contraband inside. We know your game, girl. Now, come along. We'll deal with your friends soon enough."
Nuria screamed as the lieutenant made a grab for her; several of the crew working to offload the train looked up and turned their way. This wasn't going at all as she'd planned.
"Is there a problem?" a new voice said from behind.
Struggling in the lieutenant's grasp, Nuria saw Suko glide down the ladder. She landed smoothly, without a sound.
Suko might not have Nuria's professional training or experience in the arts of seduction, or her more provocative wardrobe, for that matter, but she was still a woman of Alcyone. As such, she couldn't help but command all of their attention. All five of the soldiers turned her way, staring as she strode smoothly toward them. She came to stand by Nuria's side, where she made a point of removing her arm from the lieutenant's grasp.
"These lads aren't bothering you, are they, Nuria?"
"No, I—"
"Now, wait just one moment," the junior lieutenant said, remembering himself. "You'll get back in that vehicle, or we'll have you all under arrest and your cargo seized."
"Arrest?" Suko sidled up to him. She made a point of taking his arm—his firing arm. "Seized? I don't think we need to go that far, do we? Besides, if you arrest us, you'll miss out on all the fun."
"I'm afraid there won't be any fun, Ms.—"
"Tansho," Suko said. "But you must call me Suko. All my friends call me Suko." Reaching up, she let her finger play over his ear. "Don't you think we could be friends, Major?"
"I'm-I'm only a lieutenant. Junior grade."
"Junior? Now, why do I find that hard to believe?"
"I—"
Suko made a point of shivering. Dressed only in her halter and leggings, it wasn't difficult to feign cold.
The lieutenant swallowed. "You—you'll catch your death out here dressed like that."
"Mmm," Suko said. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" She glanced over his shoulder at the brightly lit command post behind them. "Seems silly for us to freeze out here when we could be warming ourselves in there, doesn't it? I doubt your superiors would mind."
"Well, I—I'm not sure."
"You did say you wanted to search us, didn't you?"
"Yes, I believe I mentioned something along those lines."
"I imagine you'll want to see to it personally. Leave no, er, stone unturned."
"That—" he pulled at his collar "—would only make good sense."
"Come along, Major. I'll let you search me first."
~ - ~
From the shadows, Sigrid watched as Suko and Nuria entered the command post. Good girl, Suko. That only left the three guards walking the perimeter. They were spread out, shuffling in a slow walk that would take them around the entire perimeter.
Engaging her cloak, Sigrid moved on them. She took them one at a time, careful to make sure not even the workers took notice. From the shadows, she snapped the neck of one. A hurled shuriken took care of the second as he passed behind the rear of Marta's train. It was only the last of the guards who saw her—he caught her shadow as she de-cloaked—but even then it was too late. He gave a short gasp, spinning around to face her as she came up from behind. Her fist cracked him squarely on the nose. It wasn't pretty, but it was certainly effective.
With the guards taken care of, she made her way to the command post, stopping first to retrieve two of the colonel's satchels from Jaffer's rig. The door was unlocked and she let herself in. She arrived in time to find Suko and Nuria sitting quietly while enjoying a pot of tea that was warming over a small stove. The dour-faced lieutenant and his four soldiers lay slumbering and bound on the planked floor.
"Any trouble?" Sigrid asked as she set the two satchels on the floor.
"None at all," Suko said, sipping her tea. "Nuria set them up and I knocked them down. Isn't that right, Nuria? She was the perfect distraction."
"Hardly." Nuria still looked wide-eyed and breathless. "If it wasn't for Lady Suko, I'm sure they would have hauled me away!"
"Nonsense. I think we did rather well, all things considered,"
The door opened behind them, letting in a blast of frigid air. Sigrid and Suko spun around, weapons in hand, but it was only the colonel and his two warrior soldiers. Jaffer and Victoria followed quickly behind, closing the door after them.
"Any trouble?" Victoria asked.
"She already asked that," Suko said. "And, as you can see, we're fine."
"What's the status of the cargo?" Sigrid asked.
Jaffer frowned. "Offloading's going quickly. Too quickly. Bloody crews are too efficient. They'll have us out of here in no time."
"See if you can't slow them down, then. We can't let them finish—not until we're done."
Jaffer nodded and grinned. "Don't worry. I've got just the thing. We'll keep 'em busy."
"Do that. Remember, Jaffer, if all goes to plan, we'll be driving out of here in one hour. Make sure Tomás and Marta are ready."
"And if it doesn't go to plan?" the colonel asked.
Kneeling, Sigrid unzipped the larger of the two satchels. Inside were more than a hundred charges of C47, the compact yet highly robust explosive. Sigrid retrieved one and tossed it to the colonel.
"I trust you'll know what to do with these?"
Holding the charge in his hand, Colonel Bhandari grinned. "I'm sure we can find a use for them."
"See that you do, Colonel, because if things go south, and there's a good chance they will, we're going to n
eed all the distractions in the world to get out of this. Victoria will assist you, if that's all right."
"I would be honored," the colonel said, to which Victoria gave a bow of her head.
"What about me?" Suko asked. "If you think you're leaving me here to watch over this lot—"
"No," Sigrid said. "Nothing of the sort. You're my backup, Suko. I'm going to need you inside."
"Well, good. I thought for a moment you were leaving me behind."
"And you, Nuria," Sigrid said. "If you're up for it?"
"Of course, Lady Sigrid."
"I wouldn't be so quick to agree, Nuria. This will be dangerous."
Slowly, Nuria nodded. "I know. But I also know what kind of man the marquis is. He's a slaver. A flesh-trader. Whatever you need, I'll see it done."
"Good, because you know these places better than anyone here. You know how they operate. I'll need you to get Suko in. All the way in, Nuria."
The young girl thought hard, biting down on her lip. "The tradesmen's entrance. All the flesh-traders must go through a screening. They'll be entering with the rest of the vendors—yes, the service entrance will be the easiest."
"Perfect," Sigrid said. "Then that's your way in."
"Flesh-trader?" Suko said with a finger to her chest. "Me? Seriously?"
"I thought you took to the role rather well—unless you can think of another way?"
"Hmm. What about you?" Suko asked. "How exactly are you supposed to get in?"
"Simple." Sigrid unzipped the second of the satchels with a sharp pull. From inside she withdrew a stunning black cocktail dress, holding it over her torso. "Me? Why, I'll be going through the front door, of course."
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The Crow's Nest
In the cover of darkness, Sigrid exited the guard post. Suko and Nuria followed after her at set intervals, with the colonel and his warriors taking up the rear. A black cargo van sat waiting, hovering on its repulsors inches off the icy ground. The door opened and Victoria waved them inside.